Elon Musk Predicts Gladiator Sequel Will Be 'Painfully Bad. Embarrassingly So': Film's Star Says Movie Takes 'New Direction'
Fans, media companies, and movie theaters are eagerly anticipating several blockbuster releases in the second half of 2024.
One of these movies is "Gladiator II," a long-awaited sequel to the 2000 award-winning film. Some are questioning if the movie is needed and whether it will be a box office hit.
What Happened: A new trailer for ‘Gladiator II,’ set for release on Nov. 22, 2024, by Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA) (NASDAQ:PARAA), has sparked mixed reactions among movie fans — some are excited, while others cringe at the idea of a sequel to the beloved film.
The 2000 film starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and received 12 nominations. The film received critical acclaim and remains one of the top films over the last 25 years for many moviegoers.
On IMDb, the movie has an 8.5 rating out of 10 and is the 36th best rated movie on the site based on a rating scale of the top 250 films of all time.
“Gladiator” earned $187.7 million domestically and $465.4 million worldwide in 2000, ranking it second worldwide and fourth domestically, according to BoxOfficeMojo.
Given these accomplishments, a sequel, which comes from original director Ridley Scott, will likely receive plenty of pushback. The sequel stars Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. Crowe's character died in the first film, leaving only a few repeat character appearances and a plot that centers on the nephew of Phoenix's character.
Count billionaire Elon Musk in the camp of those who don't think a sequel is necessary.
"Original was great. The sequel looks painfully bad. Embarrassingly so," Musk tweeted in response to a list of the top quotes from the original film.
Why It's Important: Paramount will be hoping that movie fans give the sequel a chance and head to the box office.
While Musk may not see the need for a sequel to the hit film, movie studios have released sequels often, as they come with built-in fan bases and proven past performance.
Take "Despicable Me 4," which was recently released by Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA). The film is the sixth in the Minions franchise and opened with $122.6 million domestically in its first five days in theaters.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) recently released "Inside Out 2" in theaters, a sequel to its hit 2015 film. The animated film has grossed $1.2 billion globally and is the fifth-biggest animated film worldwide of all time. Disney has released many sequels over the years across its hit franchises to help lead the way at the box office.
A quick look at the top grossing movies domestically of all time from BoxOfficeMojo shows six of the top 10 being sequels, seven if "Jurassic World" is counted. Of the top 25 films, 12 are sequels. Eighteen of the top 25 grossing movies domestically are sequels, prequels or live action versions of previous films, showing the power of existing brands and franchises.
While many sequels come less than five years after their original, some recent success stories show that it can be decades later, like what "Gladiator II" will be attempting. "Top Gun: Maverick," released in 2022 is the fifth highest grossing film of all time at $718.7 million and grossed over $1.5 billion. The film came 36 years after the original, but also brought back one of the main actors in Tom Cruise.
"Incredibles 2" was released in 2018, 14 years after the original, and outgrossed the first film to rank 14th all time domestically.
Comcast may boost ‘Gladiator II’ and ‘Wicked’ by marketing their simultaneous release as the 2024 equivalent of the ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ event, recalling how those films, released on the same day in 2023, achieved strong box office results.
Mescal, who was four when the original film was released, said the film balances action and political aspects similar to the first film.
"I think the main thing that I'm excited about is the homage that it pays to the first one, but also the kind of new direction that the film takes," Mescal said.
Mescal welcomes the effort to enourage moviegoers to see both "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" on the same day, calling it "Glicked."
A report from Screen Rant highlights the improving box office performance of recent Scott films and believes "Gladiator II" could become the acclaimed director's highest grossing film ever. "The Martian," released in 2015 grossed $630 million worldwide and is Scott's current top film.
Speaking of sequels, Comcast is also releasing "Shrek 5" in July 2026. The film comes from Dreamworks Animation and returns the original voice stars of the hit animated franchise.
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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.